#LoveChattnooga

Monthly Impact

We have been partnering with local organizations to love and serve Chattanooga over the last several years. If you would like to find out more about what we have done or how you can get involved, please email our Connections Director at [email protected]! Here is a month to month overview list beginning in August 2020.

December 2021

Hardy Elementary

(29) Hardy Trees - this provided Christmas presents for students and families in need at our inner city school partner.
3 siblings from Hardy elementary needed beds. Their Hardy Tree families provided sheets, comforters and pillows and through #LoveChattanooga we were able to buy brand new mattresses and bed frames for these children.
(88) Teacher and Staff Goodie Bags ($5 Starbucks cards and hot chocolate and chocolate goodies)
(75) $100 Gift Cards to St. John's restaurant for teachers
(475) Christmas goodie bags for all of the students at Hardy (contained Debbie cake, hot chocolate, Christmas toys - pencils, erasers, bookmark, yo-yo, slime)
UpStreet helped pack the goodie bags and we got to deliver these to Hardy their last week of school and it was such a blast!

Salvation Army

(50) Backpacks for homeless community - (25 male and 25 female) These backpacks were filled (to the brim!) with various items like hygiene products, warmth items (hats, beanies, scarfs, hot hands, etc), umbrellas, water bottles, flashlights, first aid kits. They will be given out at the Salvation Army Christmas Eve brunch to spread love and care to our homeless community this winter.

First Things First

This Christmas season we received over $4,500 worth of gift cards to be given to the dads in the Dad's Making A Difference program through our community partner, First Things First. 30 dads with 75 children were directly impacted and loved on by this! THANK YOU for helping us to #LoveChattanooga in this way and for giving these dads the chance to buy Christmas gifts for their kids, and the chance to rebuild and restore families.

MetMin

Staff Appreciation - $150 given so that the MetMin staff could have a holiday meal together
$800 donated to help with hotel stays, allowing for a family in need to stay an extra month to avoid homelessness.

Adult and Teen Challenge

Robes and Slipper were donated to give to the 9 women in the program. (Often times the women residents at Adult and Teen Challenge, a faith-based residential addiction recovery program, come from homeless situations and are in need of basic clothing and essential items. Each night the women sit together in their living room for an evening devotional time, and to help them feel more comfortable and safe, these items were given this Christmas to the ladies.)
$3000 donated so that ATCM could have their Christmas celebration where graduates and their families gathered with current students to share their stories and encourage the current students. Our team had the opportunity to lead worship that night and it was such an amazing evening of grace, love and celebration!
Yarn and Knitting Needles were donated to give to the students that are learning to knit and crochet to make Christmas presents for their family members back home that they are unable to visit this Christmas.

Blue Monarch

Staff Appreciation - $300 given so the staff could enjoy a holiday meal together
2 ($200) Target gift cards given to two new moms in the program to buy supplies and clothing for their new babies.

November 2021

Hardy Elementary

CFA Teacher/Staff appreciation breakfast
Volunteer Serve Day - Vice Principal Tonya Rose has let us know they need help cleaning out and reorganizing a few classrooms that act as storage rooms. We gathered together on a Saturday and knock out everything on the list!
Lots of teacher and classroom supplies donated (rugs for teacher, chair gliders, clipboards, Kleenex, dry erase markers, snacks for classrooms, art supplies)

Salvation Army

(100) stockings for Senior Citizens - filled with lots of fun and practical items (50 male/50 female - sudoku books, puzzles, cards, hygiene items, nail polish, combs, pencils/pens, hot chocolate, mints, cups/mugs, etc) so that our senior citizens feel seen and loved this Christmas.

Over $3,000 given to individual families in need -

We partner with some amazing organizations that let us know when we can step in and help on an individual level for some families in desperate need. From emergency rent help to immediate needs being met, to helping provide Christmas presents under the tree where there would have been none otherwise, we are so humbled and grateful for your generosity that made all of this possible to help meet these individual needs!

October 2021

MetMin

$2000 donated towards their emergency hotel fund for families experiencing homelessness or eviction. The discounted rate at Bugetel is $200 per week, so that helped them have 10 weeks of stay for families in need.
$2000 donated towards continued Patten Tower Relief. There are zero funds available for the displaced victims outside of hotel stay. Currently 60 families are still displaced and after losing everything were on their own for food, transportation, clothing and medicine costs. Quote shared with us in response to this gift, "This is amazing and I am so thankful! We have been the resident's lifeline and I just can't imagine not being able to continue the assistance. When I deliver food or other items people say things like, "Thank you for not forgetting us." It makes me cry every time."

#LoveChattanooga Boards

So many people through the boards have donated food pantry items and tons of fast food and Walmart gift cards to give to homeless neighbors in need through MetMin. Becky from MetMin sent us this - "The Grocery and fast food gifts cards are right on time!! Ya’ll just keep blowing me away and I thank God that we’re in this together. You make our load a little lighter. All the encouragement, the gifts, the prayers. . . you are each and every one Godsends. Thank you for being His hands and feet in this crazy world."

Chambliss Center for Children

Provided lots of storage containers to help organize their storage closets filled with various toys, clothes, and school supplies for the children they serve each week.

Salvation Army Trunk or Treat

We provided the candy needed for the Salvation Army's first trunk or treat event that took place this past Thursday, a free family-friendly event that helped create fun community and connection for so many children and families in our city

Hardy Elementary

We sponsored the world teacher appreciation day breakfast and had lots of yummy breakfast treats and coffee from Neidlov's.
Provided tons of teaching supplies like clipboards, STEM lab activity items, music classroom needs, etc.

Family Promise

We bought a refrigerator for an housing unit that Family Promise moved a single mom and her children into in October.

September 2021

Hardy Elementary

We did prayer cards on the boards for the teachers at Hardy that provided the teacher's name and email address. All of the cards were taken as we partner in prayer together for these teachers throughout the school year.
“We have challenges throughout the year, but we know RockPoint walks with us faithfully in prayer and lifting our community up. We could not do what we do without RockPoint's prayers each day! We feel them, we see God working, and we absolutely could not do what we do each day without RockPoint." - Tonya Rose, VP
We donated $900 to a Hardy student and his family so that he could get lesson and training at The Speech Language Reading Center for Dyslexia.

MetMin

Tons of fast food gift cards we donated to be given to families in individuals in need that MetMin serves.
We provided a Piñata and candy per request of MetMin to give to the staff at Bugetel for them to have fun and let some stress out together as a staff.
Elaxis's Family - MetMin let us know of a single mom with 6 children that was about to be homeless. They had fled from a dangerous and abusive living sitiation. Through #LoveChattanooga we were able to extend their hotel stay for 2 weeks to avoid homelessness while MetMin searched for housing. Once housing was found, we helped Elaxis and her family (they had next to nothing) furnish their new home providing air mattresses, comforters and sheets, a portable air conditioner, tons of household items (cleaning supplies, kitchen pots and utensils, hygiene items, towels), clothing, shoes and diapers for 2 of the children, and the initial rent and utilities cost of the unit. This family is now safe and stable and alotogether thanks to the love and support of so many.

First Thing First

We provided payment for several counseling for Marc, a dad who has graduated the Dad's Making A Difference program and is seeking further healing and restoration for his family and himself.

August 2021

Family Promise of Chattanooga -

Recently a single mom completed FP's “going home program”. She was experiencing homelessness and through this program she and her children now have sustainable housing and she has a full time job. FP let us know that she was in need of a car to have reliable transportation, so we were able to get her a car to help her keep her job and maintain sustainability for her and her family for years to come.

Hardy Elementary -

We donated hundreds and hundreds of schools supplies to our inner city school partner Hardy Elementary that we have been collecting over the last few months from the boards in our entryway. Thank you to everyone who helped meet the needs of the teachers and students as they kicked off the school year! We also did a Crumbl Cookie Friday to love on the teachers and staff there!

The 410 Bridge -

Haiti was hit by a devastating earthquake on Sunday, August 15th, that brought mass destruction and devastation to a country that is already dealing heavily with poverty, unrest, political instability. We partnered with The 410 Bridge, a Christ-centered, non-profit organization committed to pursuing healthy community development in nations confined by poverty, to help with emergency supplies. We have long-standing relationship with 410 Bridge, specifically with the community of Maniche, Haiti. Matt Setliffe, our local Chattanooga representative for The 410 Bridge, has been keeping us updated. We donated $2000 to help with emergency relief as 410 Bridge has boots on the ground in Haiti, partnering with HaitiOne and Samaritan's Purse to help with emergency relief for medical supplies, food and fresh water. We will continue to stay in contact with them and see how we can further help.

Chambliss Center For Children -

We partnered with the Chambliss Center's For Children through their Transitional Living Program, which is an amazing program that provides stable housing and careful case management for youth who have aged out of traditional foster care at age 18. They made us aware that they were in need of laptops to give to the students in this program as they start college, and we were able to get 8 new laptops for these students! Jon, the Director of the Transitional Living Program sent us this quote... "These two (picture below) are roommates and both are at CHA State this semester. Both have online/virtual courses that would have been IMPOSSIBLE without these computers! It’s not my place to share specifics of our residents’ stories, but let’s just say they are overcomers! Huge thanks to the RockPoint fam for thinking of us and blessing our residents!" ⁠

Family Promise of Chattanooga -

Recently a single mom completed FP's “going home program”. She was experiencing homelessness and through this program she and her children now have sustainable housing and she has a full time job. FP let us know that she was in need of a car to have reliable transportation, so we were able to get her a car to help her keep her job and maintain sustainability for her and her family for years to come.

Hardy Elementary -

We donated hundreds and hundreds of schools supplies to our inner city school partner Hardy Elementary that we have been collecting over the last few months from the boards in our entryway. Thank you to everyone who helped meet the needs of the teachers and students as they kicked off the school year! We also did a Crumbl Cookie Friday to love on the teachers and staff there!

The 410 Bridge -

Haiti was hit by a devastating earthquake on Sunday, August 15th, that brought mass destruction and devastation to a country that is already dealing heavily with poverty, unrest, political instability. We partnered with The 410 Bridge, a Christ-centered, non-profit organization committed to pursuing healthy community development in nations confined by poverty, to help with emergency supplies. We have long-standing relationship with 410 Bridge, specifically with the community of Maniche, Haiti. Matt Setliffe, our local Chattanooga representative for The 410 Bridge, has been keeping us updated. We donated $2000 to help with emergency relief as 410 Bridge has boots on the ground in Haiti, partnering with HaitiOne and Samaritan's Purse to help with emergency relief for medical supplies, food and fresh water. We will continue to stay in contact with them and see how we can further help.

Chambliss Center For Children -

We partnered with the Chambliss Center's For Children through their Transitional Living Program, which is an amazing program that provides stable housing and careful case management for youth who have aged out of traditional foster care at age 18. They made us aware that they were in need of laptops to give to the students in this program as they start college, and we were able to get 8 new laptops for these students! Jon, the Director of the Transitional Living Program sent us this quote... "These two (picture below) are roommates and both are at CHA State this semester. Both have online/virtual courses that would have been IMPOSSIBLE without these computers! It’s not my place to share specifics of our residents’ stories, but let’s just say they are overcomers! Huge thanks to the RockPoint fam for thinking of us and blessing our residents!" ⁠

July 2021

MetMin-

Metropolitan Ministries partners with Cempa Community Care to serve the homeless population in Chattanooga through health education and treatment. Often times these guests come in hungry and MetMin provides emergency food bags to give after they receive treatment. We helped stock their pantry with hundreds of food items and shopping bags to give to our homeless neighbors in need.

Hardy Elementary -

The guidance counselor at our inner city school partner was in need of several items for her office space to make it more relaxing and fun for the students she meets with. We we able to donate a few basketball hoops for the doors, bean bag chairs, fun colored lap desks, beads and bracelet makers, and wiggle seat for students who struggle to sit still. We also help with several other teacher needs like classroom rugs, tennis balls for chairs, hand sanitizers, printer ink, etc. As the teachers kicked off the start of the school year we celebrated with them by supplying a yummy back to school breakfast from Maple Street Biscuit Co.

Project Thank You -

We had the chance to partner with Project Thank You, an opportunity to love and give to our underserved police community in Chattanooga. We had a serve night where RockPoint volunteers helped along side of several other churches and volunteer to fill the personalized gift bags for each of the almost-500 sworn officers of the CPD with supplies, gifts/snacks, and hand written notes addressed specifically to each officer.

First Things First -

A main goal of First Things First is to reduce both the number of divorce filings, and out of wedlock pregnancies. It also aims to increase the father’s involvement in the lives of his children through their "Dad's Making A Difference" program. This is a 12 week intensive program to teach fathers how to restore their relationships with their children, and sometimes their children’s mother too. We helped meet a specific need of donating funds for counseling sessions for these dads after then have completed the program to attend to further heal and restore these relationships.

June 2021

Project Thank You -

We had the chance to partner with Project Thank You, an opportunity to love and give to our underserved police community in Chattanooga. Several churches and the citizens of Chattanooga are working together to provide personalized gift bags for each of the almost-500 sworn officers of the CPD. The bags are filled with daily needed supplies, gifts/snacks, and hand written notes addressed specifically to each officer.
We donated $2000 to help with the resources needed to fill the gift bags. We donated over 100 fast food gift cards for Project Thank You to give to officers to grab a quick meal during a long shift. And across our adult and children's environments, we wrote over 100 encouraging cards to individual police officers.

The Salvation Army of Chattanooga -

For the underprivileged or at-risk children who attend a week at a Salvation Army summer camp, it provides a safe and fun environment for them that is more than a vacation. These children are invested in and learn new skills and self-reliance. They spend time with trained counselors who understand their emotional needs and problems to help them mature. We were able to sponsor a full month of meals for the camp that provided healthy food and snacks for all the children attending and camp staff.

Family Promise -

We were able to donate several immediate needs to Family Promise including new air mattresses, sheets, pillows, and bedding for the guests they serve as they transition to sustainable housing. Most often these families enter into their new housing with little to nothing and have to sleep on the floor until mattresses are donated, so these items will be given to them to help with the transition.

May 2021

Hardy Elementary -

We helped close out an amazing school year with our inner city school partner by showering the teachers and staff in lots of love (and yummy food!) during the Hardy Teacher Appreciation Week. Each day held a different surprise starting Monday with a catered breakfast burrito bar from Taqueria Jalisco, then Tuesday with goodie bags filled with snacks and a $50 Amazon gift card, Wednesday brought a fun ice cream and root beer float party, Thursday we celebrated with delicious Crumbl cookies, and ended the week with a street taco bar from Taqueria Jalisco. Needless to say... they had an absolute blast and we loved getting to shower these hard working and amazing teachers with love and appreciation. We love you Hardy!
We were able to supply at the graduating 5th grade students with graduation yard signs so that their families could share and celebrate their achievements.
We had an absolute blast serving at the annual Hardy Field Day! We had several RP volunteers show up and show out as we led various field day games, helped with game instructions and set up, connected and engaged with the kids and teachers, and also helped tear down and clean up at the end of the day. We were also able to provide snacks, waters/gatorade, and popsicles for this event.

Chambliss Center for Children -

We partnered with Chambliss Center's Transitional Living Program to provide needed items for their community center, a hub where the youth in this program can gather and connect, enjoy meals together, plays games and hang out, do schoolwork, as well as receive trauma-informed counseling sessions. The Transitional Living Program at the Chambliss Center provides stable housing and careful case management for youth who have aged out of traditional foster care at age 18. We were able to get all the items off of their Amazon wish list including board games, snacks and k-cups, a Nintendo switch and a few video games, a printer, laptop, white boards, paper shredder and other various school supplies.

Chattanooga Sports Ministries -

Chattanooga Sports Ministries (CSM) is a part of the Chattanooga Football Club Foundation 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization which is dedicated to serving youth in Chattanooga’s most economically challenged neighborhoods. They currently offer spring, summer and fall soccer seasons for youth players and we gave a $500 donation to support their summer season and costs.

April 2021

Chambliss Center for Children -

The Transitional Living Program at the Chambliss Center provides stable housing and careful case management for youth who have aged out of traditional foster care at age 18. Each apartment unit is furnished and decorated by local nonprofit organization Homes + Havens, utilizing a trauma-informed design approach to create a comfortable, serene, and uplifting environments for teens entering the Transitional Living Program. We purchased several necessary household items to fill each apartment such as hangers, laundry basket, food containers, pots and pans, cleaning products, kitchen items (plates, mugs, baking pans), trash cans, vacuum cleaners...etc.
A few of our staff got to visit the units and speak with Jon Berestecky, the Director of Transitional Living. He shared with us, "The housing is nice... food on the table is essential... but what these young people really need is family, a sense of connection and belonging. Which is what we all need, right? We really invest in this trauma informed approach through these units because all of these kids have been through so much. And through this program, we're investing in these youth to create the kind of atmosphere that is safe and helps them heal, that says, "you're worth it."

March 2021

The Salvation Army -

The Salvation Army Day Center was completely out of several emergency needs they provide daily to our homeless neighbors in the community. We were able to help restock many items including new men’s boxers and women's underwear, new socks, basic first aid kits, ball caps, waterproof tarps, shaving razors, and other various hygiene items.
Each Easter season, the Salvation Army of Chattanooga hosts a fun Easter-themed community event called "EGG-Stravaganza". We were able to purchase all of the candy and the 600 plastic eggs needed to make this event happen for the community wide egg hunt. A little bit of good goes a long way and in this case this "yes" made a huge difference to a lot of kids and families in the area! Lauren Russek, the event and volunteer coordinator, shared with us after we told her we were able to purchase the supplies, "What!!! Amazing!!!!! I wish I could give you a big hug right now. I just let our team at East Lake know and they are so excited (they were getting a little worried about our egg supply). You seriously just made everyone’s day!"

MetMin -

On March 27th, 2021, Patten Towers (Section 8, Low Income Housing and rental assistance) suffered a terrible accidental fire, displacing over 200 individuals. Our community partner MetMin served first hand on the front lines to help with temporary housing and immediate needs (food, clothing, hygiene essentials) to prevent homelessness for those displaced, and we were able to donate $2,000 towards their emergency fund for these individuals.

Family Promise -

We provided a catered Easter dinner from Tupelo Honey for the families that Family Promise is currently serving at their overnight church shelter so that they could have a warm and wonderful Easter meal together.
We gave a $3,000 donation to Family Promise to help a single mother in their program get a new engine in her car so that she will have stable transportation to and from work to provide for her family.

February 2021

The Salvation Army -

We had two service projects with the SA of Chattanooga in February including a street outreach day and a warehouse moving prep day. For the warehouse day, our team helped clean, pack, sort, and organize, hundreds of items to help them prepare to move warehouse spaces. For the street outreach day, a group of volunteers got to make Valentine’s Day cards for our homeless neighbors, decorated for Mardi Bra women’s health event, packed feminine hygiene kits and went out and then connected with folks on the streets. We were able to give out over 100 Chick-Fil-A chicken biscuits and waters to our homeless neighbors, as well as some hygiene kits.

Hardy Elementary -

We were able to donate over $1300 worth of new school uniforms to our inner city school partner to help meet the need of some of their students. From khakis to polos, belts to socks, all of these items will go to students in need at Hardy.
We were able to meet several classroom and teacher needs such as new toys and dolls for the Pre-K classrooms, printer ink, a diffuser and stress-relief oils for the teacher's lounge, and mini flashlights for every student for Read Across America Day.

Megan's Story -

We had the opportunity to share Megan's story and her journey with Michael and Ashley Frogg, who fostered her two children and have walked with Megan every step of the way. We celebrated with Megan on February 14th when she officially got to take her children home with her and she shared how it's because of the love and support from the Froggs that she was able to keep going. Through the amazing generosity of those who give to RP, we were able to give Megan a car so that she would have a reliable and safe vehicle transportation for years to come. You can watch her story by clicking the video below!

January 2021

Chambliss Center for Children -

The Chambliss Center for Children Early Childhood Education Program operates 24/7 and serves parents who are either working or in school. The goal is to provide the best possible education to young children, in preparation for Kindergarten, and to provide a safe place for our older children before and after school. Their facilities were in need of several items to help this program continue to run smoothly and we were able to meet several need on their wish list including cleaning products (disinfectant spray, paper towels, brooms/dustpans, reusable spray bottles, bleach), childcare needs (Kleenex, baby wipes, laundry detergent), and board games and toys for infants, elementary and early middle school children.

The Salvation Army of Chattanooga -

Feminine hygiene items and undergarments are two of the greatest needs for homeless women in our community. However, these items are rarely donated because they can be pricey or are often forgotten. The Salvation Army Women's Auxiliary became aware of this need and created "Mardi Bra," an event specifically focused on the health needs of homeless women in our community. This February will be the 7th year of this event in Chattanooga. We were able to donate over $1200 worth of items from the Salvation Army's wish list including sports bras, fun colored socks, undergarments, and feminine hygiene products that will be given to female homeless guests during this event.

Hardy Elementary -

Our inner city school partner was mostly virtual for the month of January and we were able to meet several virtual classroom needs that the teachers had for their students to enhance their virtual learning experience, such as take-home Addition/Subtraction cards, a 360 degree teacher webcam for the art teacher, comfortable over-ear headphones for students, and ink for the teachers to print take-home packets for their students.
We were able to give a Chick-Fil-A biscuits breakfast for the teachers their first week back in person with their students. One of the best ways we get to consistently love on these teachers is through food and treats. It helps them to feel loved, cared for, and seen during the midst of a busy, stressful week and we love being able to love on them in this way!
The teacher's lounge that we mentioned last month is officially set up and able to be enjoyed by the teachers now that they are back in school! Below is a quick video featuring the teacher lounge and the Principal and Vice Principal of Hardy expressing why having this space is so important for their staff.

December 2020

Chambliss Center for Children -

This Christmas we partnered with the Chambliss Center for Children to help with some holiday needs they had. Each year they give little stockings to every child and youth in their program, which at this time is 70 children. We were able to donate all of the stocking stuffers, from play-doh to candies, to stickers and chapsticks, to help fill every child's stocking with something fun to open on Christmas!
We adopted the wishlists of 5 young adults that are currently enrolled in the Transitional Living Program, to ensure that they would receive Christmas presents this year. The Transitional Living Program provides stable housing and careful case management for youth who have aged out of traditional foster care at age 18 and have chosen to participate in Extension of Foster Care (EFC) services in the state of Tennessee.
We were also able to give a catered Christmas day meal to the 16 young adults in this program, delivered right to their door, so that they would have a fresh, homemade meal for Christmas day.

Over $4,000 was given to individual families in need -

From emergency rent help to immediate needs being met, to helping provide Christmas presents under the tree where there would have been none otherwise, we CANNOT THANK YOU ENOUGH for your generosity that made all of this possible to help meet these individual needs!
We were able to help a family keep their home this Christmas. Both parents lost their jobs recently due to Covid related layoffs and are struggling to make ends meet. We were able to get their power, heat and water turned back on and help them get caught up on rent payments so they wouldn't be evicted. We were able to help another family with 7 children keep their power and water on. We were able to help another family make their rent payment to avoid falling further behind. We were able to help several families struggling financially to be able to have Christmas gifts under the tree this year for their children. Because of your generosity, over $4000 was given to meet individual and family needs. Thank you so much for making this possible and allowing us to say "Yes, we can help!" to those most in need.

MetMin -

First, we want to celebrate that MetMin is now in their new building!!! We are so excited for them and can't wait to share more pictures and videos of their new space.
We donated $1,000 to help meet immediate needs during the holiday season.
We were able to love on the staff this Christmas with an Amazon gift card and some treats from Neidlov's Bakery as a small way to show our deep appreciation for all the amazing work they do in our city.

The Salvation Army -

The Salvation Army of Chattanooga is staffed with 50 individuals who work hard to help those most in need in our city. We are so grateful for them and all they do and this Christmas we were able to give each staff member an Amazon gift card to express our support and appreciation to them.

Hardy Elementary -

The teacher's lounge was officially all set up for the staff as they returned to school in January! A teacher sent us this message, "I just stopped by the school to do some work and popped into the copy room! Oh my gracious! It’s gorgeous! It’s like a little cool retreat in there! Thank you so much for that! It’s amazing!"
We were able to supply the learning packs (crayons, folders, headphones, expo markers, and sheet protectors) for January for the 1st grade students. As they are returning back to virtual school due to Covid, these items were necessary for each child at home in order to complete their assignments.
And finally were able to give an Amazon gift card to every teacher and staff member this Christmas to show our appreciation for everything they have done and continue to do for the students at Hardy!

November 2020

Hardy Trees -

This year 81 Hardy Trees were adopted by RockPoint!! The teachers and staff at our inner city school partner, Hardy Elementary, were SO excited that we were able to partner with them again this year to give Christmas presents to families in need. Each "Hardy Tree" card represented a different child and their Christmas wish list. In what has been such a hard year on so many, to help these families in this way is spreading love, joy, and hope right to them. And we could NOT have done this without the support of those of you who so graciously adopted a Hardy Tree this Christmas! Thank you!!!

Thanksgiving Meal Help -

We were able to help over 30 families from various partners, including First Things First, Family Promise, and Hardy Elementary with grocery store gift cards to provide them with a Thanksgiving meal. Talking with our partners, so many families have been impacted financially this year and to have the financial pressure lifted for Thanksgiving, to have some traditions and favorite dishes possible this year, in a year with so much change already, was such a blessing to those families.

Hardy Teacher Lounge-

At the beginning of the school year, the VP at Hardy sent us email saying - "We would love to turn our teacher's lounge in to a "CHILL" relaxation room. We would love to set it up like a "get away" place for teachers and staff to relax." And because of your generosity we were able to say "YES!!!!" to that request! We were able to get a couch, a rug, a coffee table, a farmhouse table and chairs, some wall art and lamps and pillows...etc. and our goal is to make it a safe haven for the staff in the midst of a busy day.

October 2020

Hardy Elementary -

We met specific classroom and school wide needs at Hardy Elementary, the inner city school we partner with.
We were to love and support the teachers and staff through Starbucks gift cards and we did Chick-Fil-A breakfast for the full staff at the end of the month.

Metropolitan Ministries -

We helped MetMin get the final items off of their Amazon wish list before moving into their new building! We were able to give 7 new file cabinets for their office needs and case management for the guests they serve.
The director of MetMin, Becky Whelchel, recently shared with us that they will be moving to their new building, the "Impact Hub", NEXT WEEK! They will be able to assist those in need soon after. We are so excited for them and can't wait to share more!

The Salvation Army of Chattanooga -

We provided 500 backpacks to The Salvation Army so that they will be able to give out these bags to the homeless in our city as winter approaches. As we talked with the staff, they shared with us what an impact this will make in the homeless community this winter and how grateful they were knowing this need is taken care. The backpacks will be filled with essential items such as hygiene items, hats, socks, etc.

First Things First -

The staff members at FTF have been working tirelessly to create resources and online content to help strengthen family dynamics, marriages, parenting, etc. in out city. They have helped thousands of people, not only in Chattanooga, but also nationwide through their increased online presence during this season. To love on and uplift the staff, we were able to give a gift basket to each staff member containing a few gift cards from local businesses, office essentials, and some stress relief items.

September 2020

Hardy Elementary -

As you can imagine this has been a hard year for the staff at Hardy Elementary- the inner city school that we have partnered with for the last 7 years. And so we have been very intentional with showering the teachers and staff with love and appreciation. One way that we have found to do that- that they love- is to bring them yummy food at school. So this month we have taken the full staff CFA breakfast, Crumbl cookies, and Maple Street biscuits to spread love and encouragement to them!
We were also able to meet needs within specific classrooms for teachers as well as providing 75 new uniforms for kids who needed them this year.
Here’s just one of the encouraging notes that the principle of Hardy sent us: “I just wanted to take a moment to let you know how blessed we are to have your support here at Hardy. There are so many times that the day gets away from me with everything going on. I don't take the time to just stop and look around to see how many people surround our school, teachers, and students with love from your church. You all are truly a wonderful blessing. I could never express enough how much I appreciate your thoughtfulness and genuine love for us. I know it's not enough but THANK YOU for everything.”

Metropolitan Ministries -

MetMin continues to do amazing work to prevent homelessness and help those most in need in our community. In addition to that, they have been working diligently to finish renovations on their new building, and are hoping to be moved in and fully operational by the end of this year. This month we were able to help with their amazon wish list for needed items. From white boards to dish soap to masks & hand sanitizer, every item and dollar helps get them one step closer to greatly increasing their reach and impact in the Chattanooga area.
A thank you from Becky Whelchel, the Executive Director at MetMin: “Y'all just keep blowing me away and I love it so much for the people we serve. Wish I could hug each and every Rockpointer!”

The Salvation Army of Chattanooga -

We had a street ministry day where we took a small team of RP volunteers and packaged beat the heat care packages, BBQ sandwich meals, and waters to give to the homeless downtown Chattanooga. We were able to walk the streets of some of our city's most heavily populated homeless communities and serve over 100 people.
One of the directors that coordinated the event shared: “Thank you for loving Chattanooga in this way. By meeting people right where they are at, you show value and worth to them. To learn their names, to show them they matter- that shows them the love of Jesus.”

August 2020

Hardy Elementary -

To ensure the safety of their students this year, teachers needed to provide individual school supply items and recess items per student. These were items that the teachers were going to have to purchase themselves, but because of your generosity we were able to get every item requested! This ensured that the students will have everything they need to succeed at the start of this school year and teachers didn’t have to pay for these items out of their pocket.

Urban League, "Shoes 4 School" -

We were able to financially support this organization's event, Shoes 4 School which donates and distributes new backpacks filled with school supplies and new shoes to students who are most in need all across the Chattanooga area. Through this event, thousands of school supplies were given as well as 600 pairs of new shoes.

Family Promise -

Over the summer the staff let us know that most of the toys for the children at the Day Center were broken or had missing pieces. The Day Center is a safe place for families to come during the day to rest, have a meal, do homework, play, etc. while they are in the process of transitioning from homelessness to stable housing. Because of your generosity, we were able to get them every item on the list from baby dolls, to board games, to toddler toys, and even some stringed lights to make the day center more warm and welcoming.

Chambliss Center, Transitional Living Program -

The Chambliss Center for Children's Transitional Living Program provides stable housing and careful case management for young adults who have aged out of traditional foster care at age 18 and have chosen to participate in Extension of Foster Care (EFC) services in the state of Tennessee. They currently have 17 single-occupancy apartments, each fully furnished with a washer/dryer, utilities, and internet.
They recently opened 6 new units, and we were able to provide the remainder of essential household items needed for these new apartments. We were also able to help with transportation costs through CARTA bus passes and Uber gift cards to help them get safely to school, jobs, the grocery store, etc.
They also let us know that the 6 students that would be moving into these apartments were all starting school this fall. Due to Covid, their schools were beginning the semester virtually, and they each needed their own laptop, which these students did not have. We were able to supply each student with a brand new laptop so that they can begin their first semester of college confidently and with the tools necessary for success.